Learning from Mistakes, the first of two semesters in Paris Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The American Business School Paris was not a good fit for me. Although the work was not challenging, I found that there was an awful lot of busy work to take home. The professors (for the most part) were disorganized and I felt that the "degree-seeking students" (those not doing a study abroad program) were unfriendly and disrespectful of both their peers and their professors. I was not impressed with the school, so much so that I switched universities in Paris halfway through my academic year.

On-site administration of your program

I absolutely adored the ISA Paris staff, particularly the first semester. I had a number of problems and basically turned my whole program around and ISA was more than willing to help and talk me through everything. They are all friendly and kind. I wish I had spent more time at the office getting to know them all a little better.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

For the first semester, I lived in a homestay with an elderly French woman. It was an uncomfortable experience. There was a distinct feeling of dislike for myself and my roommate (but more obviously my roommate) the whole semester. She yelled at us for not speaking French, but then would refuse to help us learn. I was disappointed in the experience, as improving my French was the only reason I did the homestay option.

For the most part, my host mother cooked decent, albeit very unhealthy, food. After three months, all I wanted was some vegetables! We were always given a glass of wine or two at dinner, which I discovered was not common among the other homestay families. Around Paris, the food is amazing. I will always miss the fresh baguettes and amazing cheeses!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Although I was in school with many French speaking students, the school was very segregated and I didn't make any real connections with locals. Part of this is my doing, however. ISA scheduled several events where we would meet up with French students, but it was intimidating for me to put myself out there in another language.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no real issues with my health while abroad. In the times I came down with a cold, my host mother would offer me cough medicine or other basic needs. There were no specific vaccines that I had to take to travel to France. The only real time I dealt with the system was doing the OFII examination, which was silly and much too expensive, in my opinion.

I never once felt unsafe in Paris. Yes, there were still nights that I walked home faster than usual - but I would do that in my own small hometown. Paris is a large city, and if you treat it like a large city and use common sense, there is no reason why you shouldn't be absolutely safe. Keep your bag close to you, don't let it sit open on the metro. And usually, it's best not to make eye contact. ISA will tell you these things, too. Don't let Paris scare you - conquer it instead.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

I would say living in Paris is not conducive to a student budget, but having planned for this trip for many years I was not exactly watching my spending throughout the weeks. Watching others struggling with finances, I would say that whatever amount of money you think you absolutely NEED to bring, double it.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

ISA pushed us to speak French, but since we were at an AMERICAN school, they spoke to us in English quite a bit. The school, of course, didn't encourage French except in the French language course.

Select all that apply

• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Excursions
• Planned activities

• Better homestay families

The Academic or Linguist